Changing Career?What to do???????Anyone Else?

clairefrilly

I have recently posted here asking about retail jobs but I was just kidding myself I have finally after 11 years working in retail, realised that it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life.I need a change.To what I don't know.Is anyone else in the same boat? How do you find out what it is you are "supposed" to be doing? I remember hearing about some sort of psychological tests you can do online to help you narrow down your search but I can't remember what they are called,anyone ?
.

MIN2511

Are you asking about career analysers? The ones that give you options to choose from and narrow it down?
I remember your previous thread, what are your skills, interests? Any education, certs, are you in a position to re train?

clairefrilly

Well I have a degree in Archaeology.I never worked in that field though,after I got my degree I wasn't that interested in pursuing a career in it. Although maybe as a conservationist ??( just had that idea there )

I have 11 years retail experience , 10 of them in some form of management role.I have been a store manager ( small team of 5 permanent workers around 10 temps) for the past 2 years ( during those 2 years we have managed to turn the shop around from almost running at a loss to coming in well over expected targets)



My interests are varied, I like collecting vintage clothing and homewears.I like acting , writing reading .
Generally I think for my mental health I would like a job where I can use my imagination .

clairefrilly

re: re-training. I will be debt free come this June so doing a training course and holding down a part-time job while doing so may be possible .
I must research grants for mature students returning to education .

440Hz

Clairefrilly, I know how you feel. Im struggling at the moment trying to decide what the best course of action in my life is. Its not easy, ive been struggling with it for a long time, and have only recently decided to bite the bullet and start changing some things. Like you I hadnt a clue where to start, I still dont to be honest, but Ive made an appointment in FAS tomorrow just to go and chat to them, talk through my ideas and options, and see what they say. Talk to someone in the know and all that. Mayeb you could try something like that.

white apples

I would strongly recommend looking into the FAS courses that are on offer. I started a year long FAS course in October and am continually surprised by the variation of courses they offer in every subject under the sun, which I am learning about as the year goes by. And not just your stereotypical plumbers, mechanics, electricians etc. which I kind of always thought was all they did (small minded I know!). Their website isn't the most user friendly but it's definately worth a look. You get paid to do these courses, and generally they are also very good at finding you a work placement, which 9 times out of 10 turns into a job. Just take your time with it and make sure you pick something that you're interested in. I can't recommend it enough.

projectmayhem

nice to know others are in the same boat as me.

my problem is that i'm young, dumb, in college, working and have pressure from all fronts to continue working while putting a focus on college. hard to do... especially when neither fronts in life are offering me what i want to do.

i'd love to do something in business/marketing and start a company but it's too daunting... and even then, i don't know if that's what i want to do for the rest of my life... but i sure as hell know being a programmer or retail manager are both options i do not want to pursue.

clairefrilly

white apples wrote: »

I would strongly recommend looking into the FAS courses that are on offer. I started a year long FAS course in October and am continually surprised by the variation of courses they offer in every subject under the sun, which I am learning about as the year goes by. And not just your stereotypical plumbers, mechanics, electricians etc. which I kind of always thought was all they did (small minded I know!). Their website isn't the most user friendly but it's definately worth a look. You get paid to do these courses, and generally they are also very good at finding you a work placement, which 9 times out of 10 turns into a job. Just take your time with it and make sure you pick something that you're interested in. I can't recommend it enough.

cool, thanks for the suggestion. do you have to be unemployed to do a Fas Course?

cronos

clairefrilly wrote: »

Well I have a degree in Archaeology.I never worked in that field though,after I got my degree I wasn't that interested in pursuing a career in it. Although maybe as a conservationist ??( just had that idea there )

I have 11 years retail experience , 10 of them in some form of management role.I have been a store manager ( small team of 5 permanent workers around 10 temps) for the past 2 years ( during those 2 years we have managed to turn the shop around from almost running at a loss to coming in well over expected targets)



My interests are varied, I like collecting vintage clothing and homewears.I like acting , writing reading .
Generally I think for my mental health I would like a job where I can use my imagination .

I heard management which made me think MBA. But they are quite expensive.

cronos

projectmayhem wrote: »

nice to know others are in the same boat as me.

my problem is that i'm young, dumb, in college, working and have pressure from all fronts to continue working while putting a focus on college. hard to do... especially when neither fronts in life are offering me what i want to do.

i'd love to do something in business/marketing and start a company but it's too daunting... and even then, i don't know if that's what i want to do for the rest of my life... but i sure as hell know being a programmer or retail manager are both options i do not want to pursue.

You might like to be a business analyst/systems analyst. It would use your IT skills/degree but put you on more of a business track. I do computer science and I like you dont want to end up as a programmer in the long term. I prefer the business side of things. Also as a business analyst you will see how companies work so it wouldnt be unheard of to go out and start up your own company. If you be a business analyst within a consultant company you will get even more exposure.

subfreq

I have also been in the middle of this process now for about 6 months. Did a great interview for what would have been the perfect job but they went with someone else.

I got a Design degree at University and have 10 years in the advertising/creative industry but decided that I wanted to go into the creative management side of things. Unfortunately the salary scale and opportunities in Ireland are quite small in my sector so I can't see how I could transfer my skills to another area.

It's really hard to reposition in Ireland if you are outside the finance sector has been my experience, especially if you are already at a certain salary scale with financial commitments.

white apples

No, you don't have to be unemployed to do a Fás course. It depends on the course, the one I went for had over 200 applicants and 18 places so it took a while to go through the whole interview process etc., but I don't think they all take that long. And they start at different times throughout the year so you may be able to find something you're interested in starting in the next few months. Best of luck, whatever you choose!